Archive for
November 10th, 2011

It turns out Andrew Bynum has already accomplished something that Shaquille O’Neal never will.

The current Lakers center received personal instruction from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, while the former Lakers center wishes he could have benefited from such teaching. Although he notes in his book that LSU Coach Dale Brown once brought Abdul-Jabbar onto campus to teach O’Neal the sky hook, the Big Fella believes Cap didn’t offer much support as a pro.

“Kareem was never around,” O’Neal wrote in “Shaq Uncut: My Story,” co-written by Jackie MacMullan. “And, whenever I did see him, he usually ignored me. The disappointing thing to me was, being in LA all those years and trying to fill those shoes, I would have liked to have a conversation with him.”

This episode has everything to do with both Abdul-Jabbar’s introverted and often downright unfriendly personality as well as Shaq’s own insecurities. After all, Abdul-Jabbar sounded more than willing to help Bynum as a Lakers special assistant coach when he was approached about it. It also reveals the mixed reception O’Neal received among former and current centers.

The NBA lockout is real. So is amnesty. And for Mike Miller so is rehab from a pair of offseason surgeries.

So, yes, that is Miller’s Hillsboro Shores estate that recently was placed on the market for $9 million. And no, the Miami Heat forward is not looking to move. Or at least is hoping there is no need.

The veteran forward said Wednesday he is just taking stock of the current situation in both his career and the NBA. And that means taking stock of his 9,968-square-foot estate with the $180,000 in annual property taxes.

“It’s a couple of things,” Miller said. “Just preparing myself; never know what can happen.”

Among the expected provisions in the post-lockout NBA is an amnesty clause that would allow each team to remove one contract from its salary-cap and luxury-tax obligations, with that player still receiving his full salary upon his release.